II

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 620

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey, upon request, certain

property in Federal reclamation projects to beneficiaries of the projects

and to set forth a distribution scheme for revenues from reclamation

project lands.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MARCH 24 (legislative day, MARCH 23), 1995

Mr. CRAIG (for himself and Mr. DOMENICI) introduced the following bill;

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey, upon request, certain property in Federal reclamation projects

to beneficiaries of the projects and to set forth a distribution scheme for revenues from reclamation project lands.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reclamation Facilities

5 Transfer Act’’.
2

S 620 IS

1 SEC. 2. TRANSFER OF FEDERAL RECLAMATION FACILITIES

2 TO PROJECT BENEFICIARIES.

3 Upon request by an eligible project beneficiary and

4 subject to valid existing rights, the Secretary shall transfer

5 without consideration and at no cost to the project bene6 ficiary all right, title, and interest of the United States

7 in and to the reclamation project property described pur8 suant to section 3.

9 SEC. 3. DESCRIPTION OF RECLAMATION PROJECT PROP10 ERTY ELIGIBLE FOR TRANSFER

11 Within ninety days after receiving a request under

12 section 2, the Secretary shall prepare and provide to the

13 eligible project beneficiary—

14 (1) a description of all reclamation project

15 drainage and distribution facilities and related lands;

16 (2) a description of all acquired lands, both sur17 face and subsurface estate within the reclamation

18 project; and

19 (3) an identification of all outstanding leases on

20 acquired lands associated with the project with re21 spect to which such request is made.

22 SEC. 4. DISPOSITION OF CERTAIN REVENUES.

23 (a) DISPOSITION OF PROFITS OF PROJECT TAKEN

24 OVER BY WATER USERS.—Revenues from whatever

25 source previously collected from project lands transferred

26 under section 2 which have been placed in the reclamation
3

S 620 IS

1 fund on behalf of the project shall, upon the transfer of

2 such project lands, be made immediately available to the

3 project beneficiary under the distribution scheme set forth

4 in subsection I of section 4 of the Act of December 5,

5 1924 (43 U.S.C. 501: commonly referred to as the ‘‘Fact

6 Finders Act of 1924’’).

7 (b) LEASES.—The project beneficiary to whom

8 project lands are transferred under section 2 shall be enti9 tled to immediately assume the management of all existing

10 leases and shall be entitled to any revenues accruing after

11 the date of such transfer from leases on such lands.

12 SEC 5. DEFINITIONS.

13 As used in this Act—

14 (1) the term ‘‘eligible project beneficiary’’

15 means the beneficiary of a Federal reclamation

16 project who has operated and maintained Federal

17 reclamation facilities and has repaid all allocated

18 construction costs which are the responsibility of the

19 project beneficiary, whether paid over the term of

20 the contract or prepaid; and

21 (2) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary

22 of the Interior.

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